Teppei Kiyoshi
|kanji = 木吉 鉄平 |gender = Male |age = 17 |height = 195 cm (6' 5") |weight = 81 kg (179 lbs) |birthday = June 10th, Gemini |blood type = O |team = Shōei (former) Seirin |position = Center |talent = Right of Postponement Vise Claw |first appearance manga = Chapter 53 |first appearance anime = Episode 19 |anime voice = Kenji Hamada }} Teppei Kiyoshi (木吉 鉄平 Kiyoshi Teppei) is Seirin's founder and its previous ace. He is known as Iron Heart (鉄心, Tesshin) and is one of the Uncrowned Kings. Appearance Teppei is very tall, even taller than Kagami. He has half-long, brown hair. His eyebrows are thick. He has dark eyes. His hands are also very big. This allows him to grab the ball tightly and change its course even at the last moment. He wears jersey number 7. Personality Teppei is the type of mature and kind people, he is very smart and is almost always plotting something. In game, he takes it easy at first, but when his game-instinct kicks in, he is ruthless and very professional. His catchphrase during games is "Let's go have fu~n!".Kuroko no Basuke chapter 82, page 8 According to Hyūga, he is a very honest player. Kiyoshi is also very caring for his team. Because he founded the club, he has a great affection towards his teammates and friends. He is willing to support them whenever they are in trouble and will protect them if they are threatened in any wayKuroko no Basuke chapter 102, page 18, even at the cost of himself. History In his youth, Teppei was raised by his grandma and grandpa.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 95, page 17 It is unknown why he didn't live with his parents. In Junior High school, Kiyoshi attended Shōei Junior High, an elite school with a strong basketball club. Because of his height and strength, he was one of the strongest players and was later known as one of the Uncrowned Kings, "Iron Heart" Kiyoshi. But then, the team had to face Teikō Junior High, the dominating champions. They were totally defeated and Kiyoshi's morale was crushed, as he saw Murasakibara towering over him in both height and ability.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 157, page 4 Kiyoshi drags this trauma further along in his life. When first entering Seirin High School, Teppei wanted to enter the basketball club. When walking in the hallway to deliver his application form, he ran into Hyūga. Teppei affectionately apologizes and sees Hyūga cellphone wallpaper, which was a picture of Ray Allen (famous NBA Player). Teppei asked him if he enjoyed basketball too and tells him that they are the same. Teppei introduces himself to Hyūga and suggests that they deliver their application together. Hyūga, who had no intention of entering the basketball club, told Teppei that there isn't even a basketball club in this school. Teppei brightly tells Hyūga that they should make a basketball club together.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 95, page 14 Hyūga refuses, saying that he quit basketball. It is revealed that Teppei is in the same class as Hyūga and Izuki and that he keeps bothering Hyūga to play basketball. When tries to pursue Hyūga yet again, Izuki comments that he would like to play basketball. Hyūga leaves and Izuki asks Teppei why he came to Seirin, wondering why he didn't go to an elite basketball school, as he is "Iron Heart" Kiyoshi. Teppei explains that he lives close to the school and that that is the only reason. He tells Izuki that as long that basketball is fun, it doesn't matter where he plays. He goes on by saying that really devoting yourself to something is what it means to enjoy it.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 95, page 18 Kiyoshi and Izuki are approached by Koga and Mitobe, who say that they want in the basketball club. He accepts and says that they have 5 members now, counting Hyūga. Izuki suggests that they ask a manager and says that he might know someone who is perfect for the job. Kiyoshi goes along with it and they approach Riko Aida. They ask her to join the basketball team, but she instantly refuses. Kiyoshi is unfazed and asks her again. Riko tells them that she only has the intention of joining a club that is determined to get to the top, she won't settle for anything less. The club leaves and Kiyoshi seems happy. He says that he's glad that they and Riko are the same.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 96, page 4 Izuki also tells him that Riko's disgust for half-assed people/quitters comes from Hyūga. Later, the newly-formed basketball club goes for dinner in the Maji Burger, where they discuss positions. Kiyoshi says that he really wants Hyūga to join them and at that moment, Hyūga enters the restaurant, but flees when he sees Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi hurries after him and catches up. Kiyoshi takes him to a street ball court and challenges him to a one-on-one. He says that if Hyūga gets one basket in, he'll stop in trying to get him in the team. Hyūga is irritated and says to not look down on him. They begin playing, but Kiyoshi dominates Hyūga and blocks every shot. Hyūga fails in scoring and Kiyoshi tells him to let it go, that he was wrong to give up on basketball. He says that Hyūga likes basketball, the same as himself. Kiyoshi says that he too tasted despair after playing Teikō, but that in the end, he didn't give up. Hyūga yells to stop, that he already knows he loves basketball.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 96, page 19 Story Return of Kiyoshi Kiyoshi is first seen after Seirin lost in the Interhigh preliminaries. He texted Riko that he will be discharged from the hospital and after he heard from Seirin's loss, he thinks by himself that it's that what makes every new challenge fun.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 52, page 18 A week later, Kuroko practices by himself after training. He shoots, misses and Kiyoshi picks up his ball. He tells Kuroko that he has seen that all he can do is pass, but that he likes that style of playing and that he just lacks experience. Kuroko asks who he is and Kiyoshi gives his name and offers him candy, to which Kuroko declines. He further introduces himself as the founder of the Seirin High School basketball club.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 53, page 19 He spells out his name in separate kanji's, but Kuroko reacts bluntly and uninterested. As Kuroko asks what he is doing here, Kiyoshi explains that he will be discharged from the hospital in a week and that he came to take a look. He then saw a worried Kuroko and says to Kuroko that he has expectations from him and that he's interesting. He explains why basketball has different positions and says that the sixth player is a specialist. He continues by saying that he has never seen such an extreme specialist as Kuroko, but that the only thing Kuroko has accomplished so far is intimidation. He asks the ball from Kuroko and takes a shot himself, while saying that the only one who decides his limit is Kuroko himself.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 54, page 7 He concludes that Kuroko should have more faith in his abilities and leaves after that. Another week later, Kiyoshi and Kagami both officially return to training, with Kiyoshi wearing his match jersey in order to raise the tension. The rest of the Seirin team react annoyed to his return, but Kiyoshi doesn't notice. After being scolded by Hyūga and changing to his training uniform, he introduces himself to the freshmen. Riko asks if he's already fully recovered and Kiyoshi confirms, but says that his skills will be a bit rusty. He tries to make a statement by declaring their goal for the year, but forgets where they are actually headed. After finding out they are practicing towards the Winter Cup, he tells the team to not only aim for the top of the mountain, but also enjoy the scenery underway.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 54, page 16 When the training commences and Kagami goes wild, Kiyoshi tells him to calm down and challenges him to a on-on-one, betting the ace position on it. Kagami tells him that it doesn't matter if he's handicapped, that he'll still go at full power. Kiyoshi agrees and says that he wants that. They start their showoff and both are equally matched. While Kagami is impressed by Kiyoshi's speed, Kiyoshi is amazed by Kagami's jump strength. In the end, Kagami was still able to pass Kiyoshi and dunk the ball, marking his victory.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 55, page 11 Kagami leaves and Riko and the other scold him for his decision. Hyūga points out that Kiyoshi was wearing his indoor shoes and that it's no wonder that Kiyoshi lost. Later, Hyūga treats Kiyoshi coffee on his discharge. Kiyoshi admits that he could've won if he wore his basketball shoes, but that he's still rusty. He also says that the freshmen Kuroko and Kagami are really interesting, but that they seem to have problems. The feeling of the loss against Tōō isn't quite healed yet and it doesn't seem to get better. Kiyoshi and Hyūga agree to try to get Kuroko and Kagami out of it. While he is currently able to play, the knee injury he sustained during his freshman year was quite severe: formally speaking it required surgery, but the process would make him unable to play basketball for the rest of his high school career. He instead opted to rehabilitate without invasive procedures, though he would only be able to do so for one year at the best. Despite this setback, he vows to make the most of the time he has. Pre-Winter Cup He along with the rest of the first years went to a streetball tournament. They were supposed to play against Yōsen High in the finals, but were stopped when the rain started. Winter Cup Round 1 He appears at the Winter Cup alongside Seirin at the opening ceremony and while entering the field. At the tip-off for their match against Tōō Academy, he jumps for the ball against Wakamatsu.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 115, page 6 Seirin tries to go full power from the start, but gets the ball stolen away by a strong Tōō. Sakurai and Aomine cause a turnover and when Aomine dunks the first point, Kiyoshi starts running to the other side of the field. Izuki passes to Kuroko and Kuroko prepares his Ignite pass Kai, meaning to pass to Kiyoshi. Kuroko launches his new pass and it gets past Aomine and reaches Kiyoshi, who accepts the ball with effort. He jumps towards the basket, but Wakamatsu caught up with him and blocks his dunk. But before he can, Kiyoshi changes his movements with his large hands and passes underhands to Kagami, who jumps behind them and dunks the ball.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 116, page 7 He later jumps against Wakamatsu again for the rebound, but loses and Wakamatsu gains the ball. Kiyoshi is amazed by Wakamatsu's strength and speed, comparing him to Kagami. In the second quarter, Kiyoshi is seen taking Seirin's first point. He receives Kagami's pass and fakes a pass to a cutting Izuki, but turns around and goes for the lay-up himself. Round 2 Round 3 Quarter-finals In the quarter-finals, Seirin face Yōsen. Before the tip-off, Murasakibara tells Kiyoshi that first, he’ll crush him but he replies he’s glad that he remembers him and try if he can. At the tip-off, Murasakibara easily outjumps him but this is overruled by the referee as he jumped before the ball reached it’s maximum height. The ball goes to Seirin who makes a quick series of passes on Yōsen’s perimeter. Hyuga pulls up for a shot but Murasakibara blocks him showing his fast reflexes. Seirin gets the offensive rebound and Kuroko throw a long lateral pass to Kagami who is open. However, Murasakibara blocks him and Masako notes that not only is he big and tall, but also has a huge wingspan. She added the entire area inside the three poin arc is ‘his domain’. Yōsen scores the first basket but Kuroko quickly throws a Cyclone Pass to Izuki who runs up the court. But Murasakibara who is not participating in the offense was there so he chose to regroup. Murasakibara then rebounds the ball after Hyuga misses a shot over Kiyoshi and Kagami and passes the ball ahead. With 15 seconds left in the quarter, Himuro rushes a shot but missed. Kiyoshi saves the last rebound for Seirin using his Vise Claw. The score is 18 – 0 in favor of Yōsen. In the second quarter, Yōsen went to give the final blow for Seirin. Izuki is double-teamed and passes the ball to Kiyoshi. He spins on Murasakibara but still there to block. Instead, he passes the ball underhand to Kagami for an alley-oop but Murasakibara was still able to block Kagami because he didn’t need to jump for the first thus, enabling him to block Kagami. But before the ball could be swatted out of his hand, Kagami passes it to Kuroko who scores for the first time with his Phantom Shot. Murasakibara was surprised because he thought Kuroko couldn’t shoot. When Kiyoshi notices Kagami having problem defending Okamura , he tells him to lower his waist but Kagami replies that he’s doing it. Kagami asks him if there is something else but simply replied that ‘he’s tall so be careful’ and as long as he remembers those two things, he won’t lose with his strength. Because of that, Kagami finally stops Okamura. Sometime later when Yōsen misses a shot, Kiyoshi outrebounds Wei Liu using his Vise Claw leading to a break and Kuroko once again scoring with his Phantom Shot over Murasakibara. The 1st half ends with a score of 29 – 17 still in favor of Yōsen. In the third quarter, when Kagami was subbed out, the focus of the match shifts to a battle between Kiyoshi and Murasakibara who continues to scorn him. He replied that pushing himself to be number 1 in Japan is way too fun then asks Murasakibara if he doesn’t find basketball fun, irking him. Then, he receives the ball for a spin and double-clutches but Murasakibara blocks him and continues to assert that they can’t win and Seirin will lose. Izuki gets the ball back and passes it to Kiyoshi who suddenly shoots a three pointer and scores. In Seirin’s next offense, Kiyoshi playing PG jump-stops against Fukui forcing Murasakibara to jump but passes it to Izuki. But Murasakibara managed to catch up so he tossed the ball backwards for an alley-oop to Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi continues to play PG forcing Murasakibara to jump and draw him to make plays because Murasakibara takes time to land when jumping. Yōsen calls a time-out and Kagami is put back into the game. Aomine comments that Kiyoshi, having such a kind look on his face, is evil. In their next play, Kiyoshi is suddenly triple-teamed by Okamura, Wei Liu and Fukui and turns the ball over leading to a break for Yōsen. However, Kagami manages to slightly graze the ball for Himuro’s shot to miss and rebounds the ball. Kagami passes it to Kiyoshi who is triple-teamed again then passes it to Izuki who is forced to shoot a three pointer because Murasakibara will get to him very fast. Izuki misses the shot but Kiyoshi gained enough time to run and out jump Murasakibara from behind for a putback slam. After that, Kiyoshi suddenly fell having reached his limit but refused to be subbed out. In Yōsen’s offense, Hyuga steals a pass and Kiyoshi leads the break then passes it to Izuki who confronts Murasakibara along with Mitobe and Kagami. Instead, he passes back to Kiyoshi who broke free with the help of Hyuga’s screen. Kiyoshi misses the shot but Mitobe gave all his strength to box Murasakibara out of position leading to a putback slam by Kagami. This move finally enrages Murasakibara who decided to participate in the offense and ‘wring out everything'. He posts up Kiyoshi but Hyuga and Mitobe came to help. However, he easily pushes the three of them as if they were nothing. Fukui passes the ball to Murasakibara who rotated halfway in the air and dunks with his Thor’s Hammer throwing the three of them. But they weren’t shaken as Kiyoshi quickly throws a full court pass to Izuki but Murasakibara caught up with him from behind so he passes the ball back to Kiyoshi. Murasakibara challenges him and he pulls up for a shot but Murasakibara jumped to block and swats the ball away when he tried to turn it into a pass. Yōsen counters and Murasakibara jumps for an alley-oop, dunks the ball over Kagami and even brought down the hoop. Kiyoshi remembers his days in Shōei and how Murasakibara towered over him and destroyed his morale. Upon replacement of the hoop, Murasakibara continues to dominate both in OF and DF. Murasakibara even does a Vise Claw with himself and dribbles from end to end. But Kagami and Kiyoshi were already back to defend. However, Murasakibara dunks sending the two of them to the floor with Kiyoshi reaching his limit and unable to stand. Murasakibara then ‘helps’ him, once again breaking his mind and body. Kiyoshi couldn’t say or do anything but entrust the rest to Kuroko. Even though on the bench, Kiyoshi doesn’t give up and asserts that there’s still time. The game goes on and Seirin is able to hold on with the help of Kuroko and the All Coat Man to Man Defense. The third quarter ends with the score, 47 – 43 still in favor of Yōsen. At the break, Kagami requests to play center and cover all the two point area just like Murasakibara. Seeing Kagami’s dedication who uses his line, “Come who may come, I’ll stop them”, Kiyoshi couldn’t help but cry, also seeing his teammates make him feel at ease and not alone. Regaining his spirit, Kiyoshi stood that he won’t waiver anymore. The final quarter begins and Kiyoshi asks Riko a favor. They went to the infirmary and Riko massaged him to ‘lose his fatigue and pain in exchange for infernal pain’. Kiyoshi screams in an undescribable pain. After that, Kiyoshi asks Riko to stay for a little bit longer and tells her that seeing her face makes him feel better. He added that he want to fully recover and when he gets back there, there will still be hope and he want to act accordingly; besides Seirin has the shadow and a strong light as support referring to Kuroko and Kagami. After resting, Kiyoshi comes back to the game with only a minute remaining. Murasakibara for the last time, scorns him and asks him if how many times does he have to squash him for him to be stuff and that his bitterness continues. Kiyoshi simply replies that it’s his selling point. With only a 4 point deficit, Kagami misses a shot and Yosen counters. Himuro tries to shoot with a Mirage Shot but Kagami jumps to block him and instead, passes the ball to Murasakibara. Murasakibara is about to dunk but saw Kagami coming and instead, passes the ball back to Himuro. The pass shifts to a matchup between Kiyoshi and Himuro. Himuro asserts that only Kagami can stop him and pulls up for a Mirage Shot. Kiyoshi faked to jump for the first and backed down for Hyuga to block the second shot. On Seirin’s counter, Kagami misses a fadeaway but Kiyoshi gets the offensive rebound using Vise Claw then passes it to Hyuga who scores a three pointer bringing them with only 1 point deficit. Surprisingly, Murasakibara manages to enter the zone with only 20 seconds remaining. In Yōsen’s ball, Okamura passes the ball to Himuro who passes to Murasakibara, entrusting the outcome of the game. Murasakibara goes for a dunk but Kagami jumps to block him. However, Kagami is on the verge of being overpowered in the air but Kiyoshi came to help, assuring Murasakibara that they’ll win and completely blocked the dunk. In the counter, Kagami makes the last shot by using the Meteor Jam against Murasakibara. Still not giving up, Himuro throws a full court pass to Murasakibara who wasn’t able to jump because Kiyoshi playing PG forced him to jump continuously and it’s what his knees can only handle. But his height and distance from the hoop is enough for him to make a shot but Kuroko easily blocks him to secure Seirin’s victory. After the game, Kiyoshi tries to shake hands with Murasakibara and asks him that they play again but Murasakibara replies that he’s quitting basketball. He didn’t insist anymore and just accepts his answer but Kuroko says that it’s impossible for him to hate basketball. Semi-finals Skill Center As one of the Uncrowned Kings, Kiyoshi's skills are superior than most other players. Kiyoshi is the tallest player of Seirin, but prefers to play point guard. Because of Seirin's lack of center, he agreed to play both positions.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 56, page 17 Koga described it as a supervising position under the basket. This describes his role in the team very well, he plays under the basket and positions himself as center (for dunks and rebounds), but also has an amazing field of vision and pass sense.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 98, page 16 In the words of Shoichi Imayoshi, Kiyoshi is an odd-ball center that possesses the pass sense of a guard. Also, as a center, he is just plainly strong and skilled. Iwamura has said that Kiyoshi is the second strongest center of the league, only virtually losing to Murasakibara, one of the Generation of Miracles.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 75, page 14 He is very durable, as he was able to withstand Kirisaki Daīchi's constant foul play. These skills combined with his postponement, make him a very unpredictable and strong player. Right of Postponement File:Right_of_posterment.gif|Right of Postponement File:Kiyoshi passes to Kagami.png|Kiyoshi uses his right of postponement against Wakamatsu Kiyoshi has abnormally large hands, which give him a great advantage for playing basketball. He uses his large hands for grabbing the ball and is so able to hold on to the ball longer, when other players had to release it already. Kiyoshi's right of postponement is that he has the freedom to change his movements and tactics very late, when he has already read (or more accurately: seen) his opponents movements. This gives him the advantage that it is meaningless to predict his movements, because Kiyoshi can change his choices at any time. He has displayed this when he is playing under the basket and tricks his opponent into a hook shot, but passes to Hyūga instead.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 82, page 10 This is a skill that is first seen in the game against Josei High, but he has possessed it since his days in Junior High school. Vise Claw A second skill Kiyoshi has learned because of his abnormally large hands. Instead of already possessing the ball, like with his right of postponement, Kiyoshi uses his hands for something entirely different: rebounding. Instead of jumping towards the ball with both hands to grip to ball tightly for the other centers not to steal it, Kiyoshi can grab the ball with one hand as powerful as with two hands. This gives him a great advantage, as one can jump higher and reach the ball faster with one hand. This way, he can get to the ball before the other centers and have a successful rebound. He learned this from Kagetora's training, by training his hand strength with a giant rock. He first showed this in the match against Yōsen High. Point Guard Although point guard is not Kiyoshi's position, as mentioned before, he does posses a corresponding pass and field sense. For that reason, he had to play PG in the match against Yōsen High, due to the height and power of their opponents. Kiyoshi has also been seen to successfully shoot a three-pointer. Quotes *"If their hearts get fragile, I'll become their support. If they're threatened, I'll become their shield. I'll sacrifice myself any day to protect everyone. That is why I came back!!" *''"If you're climbing up a mountain, obviously you're aiming for the top. But let's enjoy the view".'' Trivia *In the original datebook, Characters Bible, an early character concept sketch of Kiyoshi is seen. Instead of his current messy hair, he has longer and flat hair, resembling Mitobe. *On the first character poll, Teppei ranked 13th, with 390 votes. *On the second poll, he went up to third place, with 1097 votes. *His motto is: "With one's heart and soul."Characters Bible *According to the Kuroko no Basket light novel -Replace-, Teppei became terrified of rats after watching a horror movie about mutant rats attacking a town. *Kiyoshi is a friend of Izuki's family. It seems that Izuki's mother often invites him over and that he is even a romantic interest of Izuki's sister.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 229, page 5 References Navigation es:Teppei Kiyoshi pl:Teppei Kiyoshi Category:Characters Category:Players Category:Seirin High Category:Uncrowned Kings Category:C